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thats so gay
BillieTheBot
Posts: 8,721 Bot
does it bother you when people use terms like this?
Do you think its problematic, or am i getting annoyed over nothing?
Do you think its problematic, or am i getting annoyed over nothing?
Beep boop. I'm a bot.
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It used to mean happy. Words evolve and theres no stopping it.
If they mean something's camp, like if a someone asks if you like his new pink shirt, and you say 'hmmm, it's a bit gay', then it wouldn't offend me, even though I suppose it is still a dodgy use of the word, but when people use it as a synonym for rubbish or stupid then it makes me cringe.
Indeed. At one stage before that, a 'gay' woman was a prostitute, a 'gay' man a womanizer and a 'gay' house a brothel.
The joys of language. For instance, the term 'girl' has changed. Boys were referred to as 'knave girls' and girls as 'gay girls'. 'Girls' was just a term for a child.
You could say that language evolved when it changed from meaning happy to meaning homosexual, because the original meaning became redundant, whereas now, its just being used as a metaphor for pathetic/sad/crap/bad/rubbish/negative, whilst still retaining the actual meaning of homosexual.
I cant see how this is anything other than problematic for children growing up and their first knowledge of what gay means, is an insult and that it means such negative things
Incidentally, when I was in school, it was definitely used as an insult in a literal sense, not just as a substitute for bad.
I agree. Alot of people probably dont realise what theyre saying but for anyone who's struggling with their feelings or trying to come out as gay its not helping them when 'gay' is used as an insult for stupidity
However, I also don't think that it's any indication of homophobia. Most of the teens (because it's mainly teens) using it don't even realise that connotation. Having said that, it's pretty obvious that this is where it stems...
:thumb:
and because the word 'retard' has been hijacked from it's true meaning to be an insult people get grumpy when it's used in psychology and psychiatry, where it is NOT a substitute for stupidity, and where there really is no other word to describe the condition it represents.
I hate when people are all, 'omg you can't call them that!' Because that's what it MEANS. What it DOESN'T MEAN is 'stupid' or 'idiotic' (or any other synonym), and it bothers me that I have to EXPLAIN why I find the word being used in that context to be massively fucking offensive. And that even when I DO explain, people STILL DON'T GET IT.
So what does it mean?
I thought retardation was defined as having an IQ of less than 70, i.e. subnormal intelligence, and has been replaced with the term "learning disability" or such like. Stupid, idiotic and retarded surely have the same, or similiar meanings?
Doesn't the word "idiot" have exactly the same roots? And moron? And imbecile? I suspect in the coming years, retarded will just be another to add to the list, and genuinely mentally ill people will be referred to by yet another name. It seems to me that people are always going to use disabilities in this way. How many times have you been asked, "are you blind?" when you've missed something really obvious or, "are you deaf?" when you didn't hear?
learning disability is much more appropriate to use these days than retardation surely?
My OH is British/Indian, I'm around a lot of Indian and Pakistani peiople a lot, if I do or say something stupid or 'square', they say "Stop being so white'. I understand that apparently all homosexuals have suffered homophobic abuse at some time of their lives but they need to realise it's not always aimed that way. If people want to call me a "white, bald Taffy" then so be it - because I am.
Probably...although putting dylexic people in the same category would be offensive to many, this does seem to happen. I remember people at school with mild dyslexia getting mocked for having learning disabilities as a result.
Some terms maybe more or less offensive but the meanings are generally the same.
exactly. generally when the word 'retarded' is used by a medic they are talking about extremely low intellect, and they wouldn't say 'your child is a retard' but they might list it as a clinical symptom. it's not a very pleasant sounding word it's true.
I think calling someone retard or special is not offensive, but calling them a spaccer is offensive. Making jokes about Down's, as one charming poster did the other week, is 100% Not On. Racist words are always wrong, but equally where do you draw the line on racism? Words like 'pikey' are now used on a regular basis to mean anyone who's a bit unsavoury or a bit sticky-fingered, and I've been known to be nasty about the Fake Ronaldo's parentage.
You have to take a lot of the words used in the context in which they're meant. Sometimes you say things without thinking, sometimes you use insults deliberately to offend, and sometimes it's a bit of both.
Pikey is an as offensive term to travellers as Nigger is to black people.
It's racist.
I don't like the word at all and will tell people off who use it.